Active New Zealand

Famous for its botanical gardens, cycle routes and sumptuous dining spots, Christchurch is the South Island's largest city. It's also where you'll meet your new travel fam and embark on your unforgettable NZ adventure. First stop, Castle Hill. One of the best places to visit near Christchurch, you may recognise the Castle Hill rocks from some of your fave movies, including ‘The Lord of the Rings' and ‘The Chronicles of Narnia'. Starstruck? Same. Well hello there Hokitika! This town is known for its spellbinding natural beauty – so make sure your cameras are fully charged.

We'll stop here for (a very scenic) lunch break. Time to soar through the treetops. Our next calling point is the West Coast Tree Top Walk to view the magical NZ rainforests from a 20-metre-high platform. Watch out for plenty of the country's native birds. Also known as ‘Peak View', this stop-off might just be the best view of Fox Glacier – and a great teaser for all the glacier action to come! We'll bed down for the night here at Fox Glacier, and you'll have the chance to bond with your Contiki crew over an included dinner. (B/D) Stay: Heartland Hotel Fox Glacier (or similar)

Time to get exploring. Here at Fox Glacier, you'll have the chance to look around on foot, sure, but the action doesn't stop there. That's right, you'll have the opportunity to take an E-bike tour, and also a unique helicopter ride. Or, if you'd prefer, you can take the whole day to explore in your own way. (B)

Fox Glacier, you've been one foxy glacier, but now we must depart to Queenstown to keep those adrenaline-fuelled festivities flowing. Our next stop-off is the famous Blue Pools – one of NZ's standout attractions, so named because of the Makarora River's pristine waters (which you'll have the chance to marvel at from a swing bridge).

We'll stop for lunch here, with plenty of snow-capped mountain views to feast our eyes on.

Afterwards, it's off for an (optional) visit to the Kawarau Gorge Suspension Bridge (and yes Mr Wayne, you can bungee jump from it…) And then it's the big one. Yup, welcome to the adventure capital of the world.

Tonight, you'll have the chance to make waves on a scenic boat cruise, where you'll also enjoy a delicious buffet-style dinner. (B) Stay: Copthorne Hotel and Resort Queenstown Lakefront (or similar)

Wakey wakey, we're up and out bright and early today to get a head start on one of the best Queenstown walks (which is also one of the best hikes in the world.) Yup, today we're taking on the Routeburn Track. The Routeburn Track. 18 km of breathtaking mountain views, plus wildlife spotting, plus chatting with your crew in a truly romantic setting. What more could you want? Your tickets all sorted by us so you can save your mental energy for the trek? We're already one step ahead of you.

You have a free night tonight, so you can either sample Queenstown's laid-back-yet-legendary nightlife… or you can hit the hay and dream about what a wonderful day you just had. The call is yours. (B)

Today is yours to spend however you like – you can explore in your own way, or join us on an optional boat trip, vineyard tour, e-biking experience, ziplining adventure and adventure canyoning. (Safe to say adventure with a capital A lies in store for us.) (B)

Another day, another catapult… skydive… bungy jump… Yup, there's loads more optional activities in store for us today, so make sure you eat all your morning oats – it's gonna be a big one. (You're also free to continue exploring Queenstown in your own way too. We're all about freedom here.) (B)

Queenstown, it's been a blast but we've gotta be off now. We're making our way to mesmerising Lake Ohau today but first, we'll visit Arrowtown. Another former gold mining town that's often hailed as one of the cutest towns in the whole of NZ. Peace and quiet incoming. Twizel is a worthy stop-off on any active trip. It's known as a popular hub for skiing, horse riding and other outdoor activities... and today we'll sample its awesome cycle routes with a two-wheel tour of the majestic Mackenzie Basin. Valleys, valleys everywhere!

We'll check into Lake Ohau for a dose of top-drawer tranquillity. If you thought the drive in was scenic (which it 100% is) – wait 'til you see the view from down by the lake itself. If you can imagine a dreamier sleep spot, then please be our guest. (B/D) Stay: Lake Ohau Lodge (or similar)

Rise and shine, marvellous mountaineers, we're making our way to Mount Cook today. (You could say we're ‘cook'ing up a storm.) Today you're free to explore Mount Cook however you like, but we've got a big shiny collection of optionals to help you along the way. We're talking skydiving, a flight over the top of the mountain, a glacier explorer experience, guided stargazing… plus a bit of kayaking. Yup, the day really is yours for the seizing, complete with all the best things to do in Mount Cook. (And we have an included dinner tonight too.) (B/D) Stay: Mt Cook Lodge & Motel (or similar)

Last day? Don't fret – we've got just the hike to send you on your way feeling blessed and merry. Hooker Valley walk, here we come. Here at Hooker Valley, we'll take a 5km hike and marvel at iceberg after iceberg, swing bridge after swing bridge as we go. Talk about ending your trip on a high. So ends our epic 9-day New Zealand itinerary, and we're back where it all began. Except this time, we have new friends and awesome memories for life. Goodbye forever? Nah. ‘We should do this again sometime? ' Now you're talking. (B)